Los Angeles, CA – On June 30, the Boyle Heights community turned out in mass at a Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council’s (BHNC) special meeting to protest and demand the neighborhood council vote no on a big market rate housing development project by Tiao LLC. Proposed in the heart of Boyle Heights on the Cesar Chavez Avenue and Chicago Street block, the six-story 50-unit housing complex would evict and displace many local tenants and businesses, one of whom is a family of four generations who have been living there for 30 years.
Minneapolis, MN – At the June 28 Minneapolis city council meeting, rent control policy was on the agenda for a normally non-controversial procedural vote to refer the policy to the Business, Housing, Inspection and Zoning (BIHZ) Committee. With the June 28 meeting falling on Eid, a Muslim holy day, the three Muslim council members, all of whom support rent control, were not able to attend the city council meeting. These three included the two coauthors of the rent control policy, Aisha Chughtai and Jamal Osman, as well as Council Member Jeremiah Ellison.
Minneapolis, MN – At the May 25 Minneapolis City Council meeting, a 7-5 majority voted to start the process of writing a rent stabilization ordinance to be put on the ballot for voters to decide on in the November 2023 city elections.
Despite overall gains, capitalists killed two important bills for basic workers’ rights, and the legislature failed to advance police accountability
Saint Paul, MN – The 2023 Minnesota legislative session ended on May 22, and it’s one for the history books. A wide array of progressive measures that working class and oppressed peoples’ movements in Minnesota have demanded for years and even decades became law, as the Republicans howled from the sidelines but didn’t have the votes to stop it.
Jacksonville, FL – As the people of Jacksonville face rapidly increasing rent hikes and evictions, local organizers and residents rallied outside of City Hall on August 9. Before entering the city council meeting, they rallied and chanted, “Peoples Budget now!” “Make housing affordable,” and “Rent stabilization now!”
Tampa, FL – On August 7, Tampa organizers rallied at city hall to demand rent control be on the ballot for the upcoming November city election. The emergency protest was called after the city council voted on August 4 against putting the rent control demand on the ballot.
San José, CA – Gas stations, grocery stores and car dealers are not the only places people are facing sticker shock, as anyone looking to rent can tell you. Prices to rent an apartment are up around 20% over the last year.
Tampa, FL – Over 50 Tampa community members attended their city council meeting May 26 to demand immediate action to address the housing crisis. People’s Council Tampa and Florida Rising mobilized to demand more funding for rental assistance, right to counsel for tenants, a landlord registry, and an office of tenant advocacy that would help tenants with legal issues around their leases or landlord.
Tallahassee, FL – On April 30, Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) hosted a panel discussing Tallahassee’s current city budget and the need for a People’s Budget. The panel was put on at The Bark, a local vegan restaurant in the All Saints neighborhood, and was co-sponsored by the Tallahassee chapters of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
Tampa, FL – Tampa residents gathered outside of city hall to celebrate International Workers Day. Cries could be heard from all in attendance to demand safe and affordable housing for all. The ongoing rent crisis in Tampa has hit working class people hard, as many people are being pushed out of their homes with rent prices skyrocketing. Rent prices have risen extremely quickly, reaching over 38% higher prices than last January.
